Manchester

Label
78 Deansgate
Deansgate
Label was the cooler younger brother of the Living Room - in fact it's situated right next door (the two are actually owned by different people, but appear somewhat similar). Whereas the Living Room caters for those who prefer a sophisticated drink, Label is much more in your face with a dance floor and the necessary DJs to go with it. Designed in a sensitive fashion it's an uber chic hangout that's aimed at the 'up for it' crowd: pumpin house music, groovy disco - it all goes on down here. Label's location at the base of Deansgate, close to Prohibition, The Cocoa Rooms and Club V, has set this area alight. It's the trendy place to come out and party, and a few more steps in either direction will take you to the Circle Club (lovely), Panacea (good, but troublesome) and a whole load of traditional pubs.
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Baa Bar Deansgate Locks
Deansgate Locks
Deansgate
Baa Bar has been around since the conception of Deansgate Locks (a strip of bars and clubs built into railway arches and sat alongside a canal) and its still one of the busiest venues on that block despite the size. Combining cheap drinks and shooters will always mean a messy affair, but after a recent refit they're removed the giant mirror balls and side mirrors so ultimately reducing the chances of vomiting. Their speciality is definitely shooters, of which there are far too many varieties to mention. They're lethal but a lot of fun and ultra cheap. On weekends the bar can get far too busy, resulting in long waits at the bar and very little room to move. Good thing that there are more bars and clubs nearby as you can wander down the Locks and grab a drink somewhere else.
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Comedy Store
Deansgate Locks
Deansgate
The hard working Comedy store on Deansgate Locks provides a full packed line-up of comedic events, featuring local and national figures as well as great shows. Inside the venue is well designed, with a couple of bars, the main theatre and some adaptable club space which they use for a disco on weekends (if your into that kind of thing!). Well worth a visit, with the midweek events cheaper than the weekends.
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Loaf
Arches 3a - 5, Deansgate Locks
Deansgate
Loaf is very much like one of the Hollyoaks starlets that pass through its doors on a Friday or Saturday night ? overrated and easily forgettable. Going back seven years, Manchester was still in the grip of post-bomb construction, with a lot of fantastic plans but nothing to show for it yet. Some bright spark had the idea of turning a number of disused railway arches at the bottom of Deansgate into a series of bars (plus a bathroom and flower shop that, quite rightly, died). Little did they know exactly how much Deansgate Locks would affect Manchester nightlife, both in a positive and negative fashion, and the expansive Loaf was built at the far left of the strip. Occupying huge arches, this venue was initially loved the uber-glam Cheshire brigade (its proximity to Deansgate station, and their inability to walk for more than five minutes really helped this Loaf) but that was back in 2000 and that's a lifetime ago in the life of a bar. The venue itself isn't all that bad ? upstairs houses a bar area that holds approximately three hundred, and a restaurant that can seat a touch over one hundred. Downstairs is a bar-cum-vip area that is normally rather busy, and a ?proper? club space (as well as the toilets and cloakroom). The decor was pretty fresh for Manchester until everyone else copied it, but its still more than passable in terms of looks, for the time being at least. Over the years the crowd has changed, and now it's a bit more ?down to earth? (a.k.a. rougher) at weekends at least. Its saving grace is the events it puts on during the week ? the infamous Hideous Kinky has moved here on Thursdays and Eye Candy was the place to be on a Monday, giving this venue a new lease of life ? the crowds on these nights are much more like they used to be. Overall you may feel we're being a bit harsh on Loaf, after all this was initially built as a test project by one of the big breweries, but its hard watching a venue like this go downhill at weekends. A rebranding is definitely needed soon, and no doubt they will polish this huge bar/club/restaurant into something special, but for the time being I can't honestly say that this place is somewhere I want to visit for that long.
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Moon under Water
68-74 Deansgate
Deansgate
The Moon under Water could once claim to be the largest pub in Europe, and it's still a mammoth drinking hole that's now owned by Wetherspoons. Inside it's all about cheap food and drink - if you're after a light bite for under £5 then this is the place for you, and despite being surrounded by trendy bars the Moon under Water is a popular place.
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Revolution Parsonage Gardens
St Marys Gate
Deansgate
This is the fourth opening by vodka bar supremo's Revolution in Manchester, the others being on Deansgate Locks, Oxford Road and in Fallowfield, but their new baby in Parsonage Gardens is altogether more grown up than the rest. Whereas the Fallowfield and Oxford Road venues are clearly aimed at students, and the Deansgate Locks bar has a target market of alcopop fuelled locals, the Parsonage Gardens venue is a much nicer place. Understandable really, since the neighbours include the uber-swanky Living Room, Label, Cocoa Rooms and Prohibition. The new bar is spacious, with a raised seating area at the back and second bar for service during busy times. Tucked away on the right hand side is a snug (smaller room) and even the toilets seem a little oversized. The main bar covers one of the four walls, and has a huge selection of spirits, wines, beers and everything in between. Prices are good, with plenty of offers on to keep the price down, whilst the DJ booth is getting used more and more. The midweek clubnights here do especially well.
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